The present invention relates to means for manipulating a drafting roller carrier of a textile machine.
The drafting apparatus of a drafting frame or a roving frame or other similar textile processing machines, typically includes a plurality of associated pairs of rollers, each roller pair having an upper roller and a lower roller. The lower rollers are usually mounted on the frame and the upper rollers are mounted on a carrier generally pivotally mounted at one end on a pivot shaft for pivoting between an operating position in which the upper rollers are cooperatively disposed with respect to their associated lower rollers to form nips therebetween for the feed of the textile material through the nips and a raised or non-operating position in which the upper rollers are supported at a spacing upwardly from their respective associated lower rollers.
To releasably maintain the carrier in its operating position, the drafting apparatus typically includes a force-applying handle extending over the top of the carrier and engaging the carrier to apply a downward roller nip pressure. To move the carrier to its non-operating or raised position, the force-applying handle is manipulated to a raised position and the carrier is interconnected to the handle so that raising of the handle effects raising of the carrier. This is disclosed, for example, in German Patent 1 233 755 in which the apparatus is configured such that an operator can with one manipulation raise both the handle and the carrier from their operating positions to raised positions in which the handle and the carrier are releasably maintained. However, the handle is maintained in the raised position by a spring latch engaging a latch pin, which requires disengagement of the pin from the spring latch before the handle and carrier can be lowered to their operating positions. Thus, an involved manipulation is necessary to lower the handle and carrier.
However, the need exists for means which manipulates the handle and associated drafting roller carrier between their respective operating and non-operating or raised positions in a simple, efficient and reliable manner.